Placements/Host agencies:

“I am so excited to have the opportunity right out of college to be in such a dynamic position at my placement organization.  I have learned a tremendous amount and on a level that would probably not be possible in your typical entry-level job.”

“Two months in, my host agency and I are still a little infatuated with each other.   I really do feel supported here and I know at the end of the year I’m going to have all the help I want in transitioning to another job.”

“I could not have asked for a better match.  I truly enjoy spending time with my coworkers, which is not something I've been able to say about my other jobs in the past.”  

The community of fellows:

“It's so refreshing to see and hear smart, young, cool, hilarious people express through their words and actions just how much they care about this city, while also knowing how to have fun.”

“It is wonderful to live with people my age who are as excited to explore this city as I am and who are dedicated to working for positive social change.  We all made the choice to work in the non-profit sector because we are passionate about this city and making a difference here.  Being surrounded by the other Philly Fellows reminds me why I made this choice.”   

Housing/Neighborhoods:

“In college I got to center city quite often but rarely made it up to Northern Liberties.  This neighborhood is everything I love about Philadelphia - it is diverse, full of character, and has plenty of great restaurants and bars, but the people are still down to earth.”

“It's funny; I was raised from birth in a small one-story home in Georgia, and learned as a small kid to measure wealth in 'amount of stairs.' Despite our 'modest stipend,' Our house in South Philly not only has more than enough room for the four of us to have our own space, but it's made me feel really, really rich.”

“I especially love West Philly because of the great mix of people in terms of age, race and socio-economic background.  Also, the Clark Park Farmer's Market and the produce truck are the best!”

Leadership development:

“Free career development?  It’s fine by me.  Philly Fellows makes it supremely easy to get the kinds of resume-boosting career skills that make me more attractive as a potential employee and make it easier for me to do my job.”  

“The workshops are a great opportunity to process what we have learned and to place our observations at work in the larger picture of the non-profit sector.  The La Salle workshops and leadership dinners will help me make decisions in the future about what career path is right for me.  It is also helpful to build a network of people with experience in the sector for when we move on from the fellowship.”

Impressions of the non-profit sector in Philly:

“It seems pretty strong, and perhaps that view is biased by the organizations where we've placed a lot of our Fellows. However, it seems like there should be a lot more communication and collaboration between organizations so that we can all help do our job of serving the communities in Philadelphia more effectively, e.g. passing off volunteers to each other, doing referrals, joint events, etc... even just KNOWING what other people are doing!”

“It's incredible to see how the trends in the Philly non-profit sector diverge from the nation's non-profit trends.   I'm still trying to figure it out, but I do think that the city's best assets in terms of the non-profit sector are the non-profit leaders and staff.” 

Ease of transition from college to the program:

“Philly Fellows is a perfect segue from college into the working world, because we have real ‘career’ jobs but our housing is taken care of, our hours are reasonable, and we live with people our age.  I am less shell-shocked than my i-banking counterparts, and at the end of the day I have the satisfaction of knowing that I made a positive difference in the lives of people in Philadelphia.”  

Why they chose Philly Fellows:

“As someone who wasn’t sure what to do post-college, Philly Fellows was a great fit for me.  The program provides enough structure to keep post-grads from feeling overwhelmed, but enough ‘real world’ experience to prepare us for the next step.”

“It looked like an amazing program. I really wanted to live in Philadelphia with people my age, and I really, REALLY wanted to do service work for a year. I was basically waiting for this opportunity to come along.”

What kind of person is a good fit for Philly Fellows:

“The ideal fellow is flexible, ready to dedicate their time and energy, outgoing, and a team player.  And I don’t just say that because I’ve been brainwashed; those skills really describe the perfect fellow.”

“A person who is outgoing, conscientious, flexible, organized and loving.”

“Anyone who has a passion for social justice.”

How the fellowship will help accomplish future goals:

“I hope to be able to stay in the non-profit sector after graduate school; being a fellow has definitely helped me to concretize my goals.”  

“I don't know what particularly I want to do with my life, but I know that it will involve working toward a society in which people have many more opportunities to make choices about how to live their lives. This means working for people with very few choices and opportunities, and exploring ways of changing the status quo so that people don't say... die on the street, or in a hail of gunfire, or go to school in a leaky prison of a building. I want to make these things: homelessness, poverty, abuse, disease, lack of choice for women, discrimination, the abysmal conditions for our students, etc... unacceptable to
everyone. This year will help me to organize these thoughts and feelings into grant proposals, volunteer recruitment, public speeches: ACTION. I think that's extremely valuable.”

Overall impression of the program:

“For someone like myself who has gone to college in Philly and worked with non- profits, Philly Fellows offers a thoroughly validating experience.  On the one hand, Philly Fellows exemplifies the dynamic spirit of the city while, on the other hand, it affirms a culture of young people who prioritize social change over financial incentive.”

“In just two months we’ve already settled in new neighborhoods, become resources for our host agencies, dreamed up projects to further connect ourselves (and the college community) to the city, and started beefing up our job skills.”